The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) - IMDb IMDb 2 January 2017 8:47 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Man in the Iron Mask ( 1998 ) PG-13 | The cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother who he keeps imprisoned. Can the twin be substituted for the real king?

Director: Alexandre Dumas père (novels) (as Alexandre Dumas), Randall Wallace (screenplay) Stars: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 28 titles created 07 Jan 2012 a list of 22 titles created 12 Dec 2012 a list of 45 titles created 25 Oct 2014 a list of 21 titles created 06 Sep 2015 a list of 22 titles created 10 months ago Title: The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) 6.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 3 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards » Videos Twenty-something Richard travels to Thailand and finds himself in possession of a strange map. Rumours state that it leads to a solitary beach paradise, a tropical bliss - excited and intrigued, he sets out to find it. Director: Danny Boyle Shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.

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Director: Jerry Zaks A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction. Director: Scott Kalvert A writer and wall street trader, Nick, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Director: Baz Luhrmann After his father's death, Gilbert has to care for his mentally disabled brother, Arnie, and his morbidly obese mother, which is suddenly challenged when love walks into his life. Director: Lasse Hallström Edit Storyline Paris is starving, but the King of France is more interested in money and bedding women. When a young soldier dies for the sake of a shag, Aramis, Athos and Porthos band together with a plan to replace the king. Unknown to many, there is a 2nd king, a twin, hidden at birth, then imprisoned for 6 years behind an iron mask. All that remains now is D'Artagnan, will he stand against his long time friends, or do what is best for his country? Written by Leonardo DiCaprio For the honor of a king. And the destiny of a country. All for one.

Genres: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and some sensuality/nudity | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 13 March 1998 (USA) See more » Also Known As: El hombre de la máscara de hierro See more » Filming Locations: $17,271,450 (USA) (13 March 1998) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Gérard Depardieu 's son Guillaume Depardieu and daughter Julie Depardieu also appeared together in a Musketeer film: they played Athos and Constance in Milady and the Three Musketeers (2004). See more » Goofs In the 20-something King Louis XIV's bedroom we can see a portrait of Louis XIV when he was about 50. See more » Quotes Athos : You came to restrain me? D'Artagnan : I came to give you hope.

Version of Mushketyory 20 let spustya (1992) See more » Frequently Asked Questions – See all my reviews I never saw this movie in the theaters (it seemed like another Leo-mania "no REAL talent" type of film), but I remember a friend recommending it to me one night about 5 years back. Since I love sword fighting movies/3 musketeer flicks, I just had to give it a try. Plus, I had seen the previews, and they looked interesting. Well, let me tell you...from the opening scene to the ending credits, I was hooked with this film! It grabbed my attention, and was just pure fun!! I don't know why this movie got such a low rating on IMDB. It may not be a "masterpiece", but it's surely a great, fun, entertaining film! First of all, the cast is great. I mean, have you seen so many good actors in one film?? Byrnes, Depardieu, Malcovich, DiCaprio, and Irons. All such a WONDERFUL cast, with good acting. I liked Leo's duel roles too.

At first I thought it would be cheesy, but Leo delivered it well! He played both roles of Louis (bad king) and Phillipe (good king) so diversely! I liked how he had you loving one king, and totally despising the other! Someone also mentioned the way Leo totally changed characters with his "eyes". THe "EYES" say a lot, and Leo nailed it. I almost had to ask myself if this was the SAME actor playing Phillipe! The plot was good (eh...might have been predictable, but still...great), the cinematagraphy was awesome, the music was moving, the sword fighting/action was cool! I absolutely loved Gabriel Byrnes in this movie. He was so great as D'Artagnan (sp?). John Malcovich was perfect for his role of Athos too. I really felt his pain. I have both the VHS (older) and the DVD version (hey, it was on sale for 9 bucks!! lol) of The Man In The Iron Mask, and the DVD version (although not a whole lot of extras) has a nice directors commentary. It really tells the director's vision for the film and all the behind the scene info.

I STILL can't believe that this movie was his FIRST film!! Very entertaining movie. I really don't know why people dogged this movie so much. It was SOOOO much better than that "OTHER" more RECENT musketeer movie that came out called "THE Musketeer". UGghgh...what a dissapointment! But The Man In The Iron MASK is DEFINITELY a movie worth giving a try. 71 of 93 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes The Man in the Iron Mask : Leonardo DiCaprio The Man in the Iron Mask July 13, 1998 The Man in the Iron Mask July 13, 1998 FOR THE HONOR OF A KING. AND THE DESTINY OF A COUNTRY. ALL FOR ONE. Paris is starving, but the King of France – Louis XIV (Leonardo) is more interested in money and bedding women. When a young soldier dies for the sake of a shag, Aramis, Athos and Porthos band together with a plan to replace the king.

Unknown to many, there is a 2nd king, a twin (also played by Leonardo), hidden at birth, then imprisoned for 6 years behind an iron mask. All that remains now is D’Artagnan, will he stand against his long time friends, or do what is best for his country? Read more about the film. Join Us What issue do you care about the most? OCEANS The Revenant 16 . 03 . 2016 On December 25, Leonardo DiCaprio’s new film ‘The Revenant’ opened in a the United States. with a global cinematic release on January 8, 2016. The Wolf of Wall Street 25 . 12 . 2013 The Wolf of Wall Street premiered in New York City on December 17, 2013, and was released theatrically on December 25, 2013. The Great Gatsby 01 . 05 . 2013 From the uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann comes the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby.

The filmmaker will create his own distinctive visual interpretation of the classic story, bringing the period to life in a way that has never been seen before, in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role. Django Unchained 25 . 12 . 2012 Set in the antebellum, Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as Django with Leonardo DiCaprio as the villainous Calvin Candie. J. Edgar 12 . 07 . 2011 As the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life. Shutter Island 12 . 07 . 2010 It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels (played by Leonardo) is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital.

He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Hubble 3D 12 . 07 . 2010 An IMAX 3D camera chronicles the effort of 7 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Inception 12 . 07 . 2010 In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief – Dom Cobb – is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception Revolutionary Road 12 . 07 . 2009 Adapted from the landmark novel by Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road is an incisive portrait of an American marriage seen through the yes of Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet) Wheeler. Yates story of 1950's America poses a question that has been reverberating through modern relationships ever since: can two people break away from the ordinary without breaking apart?

Body of Lies The Man in the Iron Mask Trailer HQ (1998) - YouTube The Man in the Iron Mask Trailer HQ (1998) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Aug 15, 2009 Director: Randall Wallace. Cast: Leonardo Dicaprio,Jeremy Irons,John Malkovich. Plot:The cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother who he keeps imprisoned. Can the twin be substituted for the real king?

Category "The Man in the Iron Mask" - Leonardo DiCaprio - Pictures - CBS News Next Leonardo DiCaprio The former child star who grew from a teen heartthrob in one of the biggest blockbusters of all time, to one of the most talented and bankable actors of his generation, has been nominated for five Academy Awards as an actor and producer, and won his third Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the 2015 drama, "The Revenant." By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from the 2015 film "The Revenant," directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. It is based on Michael Punke's novel inspired by a true-life tale of a frontiersman's fight to survive in the early 19th century American wilderness. DiCaprio told CBS News' Charlie Rose it was one of the toughest films he's ever made. "There for nine months in sub-zero temperatures in Calgary, real locations, far-off locations, we looked at this as a grand sort of artistic experiment," DiCaprio said.

"We rehearsed meticulously all day long with (cinematographer) Chivo Lubezki and Alejandro to pull off some very crucial and hard-to-do shots. And then we'd have an hour-and-a-half of natural light and it became like live theater at the end of the day, this frenetic pace and intensity that we needed to keep up with." The actor described it as a "chapter of my life" rather than a "film commitment." Credit: 20th Century Fox "This Boy's Life" As a child actor growing up Los Angeles, Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in the TV series "The New Lassie," "The Outsiders," "Rosanne" and the soap opera "Santa Barbara." He also played Garry Buckman in the 1990 series, "Parenthood." Credit: Warner Brothers "Critters 3" He made his film debut in the direct-to-video sci-fi flick "Critters 3" (1991), about hungry, toothsome creatures from outer space.

Credit: New Line Cinema "This Boy's Life" Leonardo DiCaprio's first major film role was in "This Boy's Life" (1993), starring Ellen Barkin and Robert De Niro. "I'd never seen a set that serious before," DiCaprio told CBS "Sunday Morning"'s Lee Cowan. "I'd come from, you know, television shows and commercials. But once De Niro walked onto set, everyone was silent. And I was like, 'What the hell's goin' on?' It was like a ghost came into the room! But I realized the concentration that he put into this. "Michael Caton-Jones, who was the director, laid some foundation for me: basically, 'Shut up, kid, when we're trying to be serious!'" DiCaprio laughed. "And, you know, 'Don't complain. Pain is temporary. Film is forever. Concentrate on the work.

Prepare.' [That] really gave me the fundamentals of what it was to do a film like that." Credit: Warner Brothers "This Boy's Life" DiCaprio said, "It was really watching De Niro prepare, and the chances that he would take with each scene, that it wasn't just about reading the dialogue, that it was about creating something out of thin air and embodying that character, and committing to it. That made a huge impression on me." Credit: Warner Brothers "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" DiCaprio said he prepared for "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993), in which he plays the autistic brother of Johnny Depp (left) by spending time at a home in Austin, Texas, for children with mental disabilities. "I remember coming to Lasse Hallstrom [the director] with a checklist of, like, 300 different attributes that I noticed while I was there. And I said, 'I'm thinking of doing this one, this one, this one. And I can kind of show you.' And he looked at me and he said, 'Yeah. Go ahead. Do that,'" he laughed.

Credit: Paramount Pictures "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" DiCaprio said he learned the difference between his contributions to the film and those of Johnny Depp, the central character: "It was a lot less pressure [for me]. He had to carry the story. He had to structure the story. And I was sort of allowed to do whatever the hell I wanted at any given moment, because that was the nature of the character - he was impulsive. Oftentimes, probably, I should have allowed the scene to carry on the way it should have! But I just had a big plate of spaghetti and, you know, I did what my character was going to do with a big plate of spaghetti, you know?" DiCaprio received his first Oscar nomination, as Best Supporting Actor, for "Gilbert Grape": "It was a shock to me.

I remember really being terrified of the possibility of ever winning something like that when I heard the fact that there were billions of people, or a billion people that watch this; that just terrified the hell out of me." Credit: Paramount Pictures "The Basketball Diaries" Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1995 film version of Jim Carroll's "The Basketball Diaries," about a young athlete falling into drug addiction. Credit: MGM "The Quick and the Dead" Leonardo DiCaprio as young gunslinger Fee "The Kid" Herod in Sam Raimi's 1995 western, "The Quick and the Dead. Credit: TriStar Pictures "The Quick and the Dead" Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman and Russell Crowe in "The Quick and the Dead" (1995). Credit: TriStar Pictures "Total Eclipse" Following his very early success, DiCaprio turned down offers for some traditional Hollywood films. He told Cowan, "My father was a huge catalyst in pushing me towards more interesting films at an early age, things like 'Total Eclipse' (left, with David Thewlis), which not many people have seen, which is about the great poet Arthur Rimbaud.

"He kind of put it into a modern-day perspective for me in saying, 'Look, this guy was kind of the James Dean of his time. He was a great poet, he was a radical, he was a rebel. He sort of revolutionized that art form.' And, so, therefore my taste kind of shifted." Credit: New Line Cinema "Marvin's Room" Leonardo DiCaprio played the troubled young son of Meryl Streep in the 1996 drama, "Marvin's Room," which co-starred Diane Keaton. Credit: Miramax "Romeo + Juliet" Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge") directed "Romeo + Juliet" (1996), a pop-infused contemporary take on Shakespeare's doomed lovers. Leonardo DiCaprio starred as Romeo Montague opposite Claire Danes as Juliet Capulet. Credit: 20th Century Fox These Montagues are packing serious heat: Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996).

Credit: 20th Century Fox "Titanic" Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as the doomed lovers in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster, "Titanic." Winner of 11 Academy Awards , including Best Picture, it became the highest-grossing film of all time (later supplanted by Cameron's "Avatar"). Credit: 20th Century Fox "Titanic" Looking back on "Titanic," DiCaprio told Cowan that, "We did this monumental film and I got to work with Kate, who was great, and Jim. And it was insane. We were there for eight months of our life. It was just, like, a huge part of my younger youth. "But then, the movie comes out and it's incredibly successful. And people are saying, 'You know, this movie is huge.' And I'm like, 'Great. Cool. Isn't that what it's supposed to be?' (laughs) They're like, 'No. No. You don't understand. I mean, it's making billions of dollars.' I'm like, 'So, that's good, right?

Billions of dollars are good?' (laughs) I just didn't understand, I really didn't." Credit: 20th Century Fox Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kathy Bates in "Titanic." Credit: 20th Century Fox "Celebrity" Leonardo DiCaprio and Kenneth Branagh in Woody Allen's rueful comedy-drama of fame, debauchery and celebrity journalism, "Celebrity" (1998). Credit: Miramax "The Man in the Iron Mask" Leonardo DiCaprio played the dual roles of King Louis XIV and Philippe, the king's identical twin brother, in the 1998 film adaptation - one of over a dozen - of the Alexander Dumas adventure, "The Man in the Iron Mask." Credit: United Artists "The Man in the Iron Mask" Leonardo DiCaprio and Judith Godreche in the 1998 film of Alexander Dumas' "The Man in the Iron Mask." Credit: United Artists "The Beach" Leonardo DiCaprio starred as a college student on a journey to a mythical island paradise in "The Beach" (2000).

Directed by Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting," "Slumdog Millionaire"), the film costarred Tilda Swinton and Virginie Ledoyen. Credit: 20th Century Fox "Catch Me If You Can" Leonardo DiCaprio starred in Steven Spileberg's sprightly caper "Catch Me if You Can" (2002), based on the true story of con artist Frank Abagnale, whose impersonations included a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and D.A. Credit: Dreamworks "Catch Me If You Can" Director Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of "Catch Me If You Can." Credit: Dreamworks "Gangs of New York" Leonardo DiCaprio first worked with Martin Scorsese on "Gangs of New York" (2002), about the violence that immigrants found upon stepping off in the New World. "My whole generation of friends - ever since I became an actor - we admired the films from the '70s, the era when the director was God and they had artistic control. And at the top of that list was Marty's work with Bob [De Niro]. It's the greatest cinematic relationship ever.

"And as soon as I got 'This Boy's Life' with De Niro, I obsessively watched all of their films together. That's a very impressionable age. And when you watch films like that, the threshold of what they accomplished - the bar is set so high (laughs) that you sort of gotta say, 'Okay. I gotta dig deep - and I wanna do something close to this good in my lifetime.' And that thirst never goes away." Credit: Miramax "Gangs of New York" Daniel Day Lewis as "Bill the Butcher" Cutting and Leonardo DiCaprio as Amsterdam Vallon in Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" (2002). Credit: Miramax "The Aviator" DiCaprio's second collaboration with Martin Scorsese was a passion project: "The Aviator" (2004), the epic story of Hollywood producer, aviation pioneer and business tycoon Howard Hughes.

Credit: Warner Brothers "The Aviator" DiCaprio says a film like "The Aviator" would be even more difficult to get funding for today, if it doesn't have the elements of a typical Hollywood blockbuster wanna-be (one reason why "The Wolf of Wall Street" obtained funding from beyond the typical film studios). "I understand," DiCaprio told Lee Cowan. "I mean, they've been monumentally successful with those types of films, and it's an industry that is driven by profit and they have to be accountable to their shareholders. But for me, it's kind of been about, where can I find financing outside of that? Or people that understand that audiences don't always wanna see epics or big movies coming from Hollywood that have those elements in 'em? I think that there's an audience out there that craves different types of storylines. And thank God there are people out there that have run into some wealth or have financial backing that also have taste in movies as well and say, 'Look.

We're willing to take a gamble on this.'" Credit: Warner Brothers "The Aviator" "The Aviator" earned 11 Academy Award nominations (including Best Actor for DiCaprio), and won five Oscars, including Cate Blanchett as Best Supporting Actress. Credit: Warner Brothers "Blood Diamond" Leonardo DiCaprio (with Djimon Hounsou) earned his third Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a diamond smuggler in the 2006 thriller, "Blood Diamond." Credit: Warner Brothers "The Departed" DiCaprio's third film with director Martin Scorsese was the 2006 Best Picture winner, "The Departed." A remake of the Hong Kong thriller "Infernal Affairs," "The Departed" told of the cat-and-mouse games between a Boston mob boss and the police, neither of whom know moles had been planted in each other's organizations. DiCaprio played an undercover operative who becomes a trusted ally of the Whitey Bulger-like Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson).

Credit: Warner Brothers "The 11th Hour" Inspired by Al Gore and "An Inconvenient Truth," DiCaprio (who as a boy said he wanted to become a marine biologist) narrated and produced the documentary "The 11th Hour" (2007), featuring scientists and statesmen discussing such environmental crises as mass extinctions, climate change, deforestation and the loss of habitats and biodiversity. Since 1998, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has focused on philanthropy and fundraising to support conservation projects and media initiatives on such pressing environmental issues as protecting rain forests, animal habitats and ocean ecosystems; rescuing tigers from extinction: and supporting clean water efforts in distressed areas.

Credit: Warner Independent Pictures "Body of Lies" Leonardo DiCaprio played a CIA agent on the trail of a terrorist in Iraq in Ridley Scott's 2008 thriller "Body of Lies." Playing his CIA overseer was Russell Crowe, DiCaprio's costar in "The Quick and the Dead." Credit: Warner Brothers "Revolutionary Road" Leonardo DiCaprio and his "Titanic" co-star Kate Winslet reteamed for Sam Mendes' 2008 drama, "Revolutionary Road," based on Richard Yates' novel of couple struggling to overcome dissatisfaction in their careers, their relationship, and their life in 1940s suburban Connecticut. Credit: Paramount Vantage "Inception" In Christopher Nolan's "Inception" (2010), Leonardo DiCaprio played a corporate spy who enters his targets' unconscious state to steal secrets - and, in one dangerous assignment, to implant a false memory.

Credit: Warner Brothers "Shutter Island" Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" (2010), the moody thriller based on Dennis Lehane's novel about the investigation into a missing patient at an isolated hospital for the criminally insane. Credit: Paramount Pictures Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley in "Shutter Island." Credit: Paramount Pictures "J. Edgar" In Clint Eastwood's biopic "J. Edgar" (2011), Leonardo DiCaprio played the storied G-Man J. Edgar Hoover, recounting his decades-long leadership of the FBI and his personal relationships, including his alleged homosexuality. Also starring was Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson. Credit: Warner Brothers Leonardo DiCaprio as FBI head J. Edgar Hoover in "J. Edgar." Credit: Warner Brothers "Django Unchained" Blood on his hands: Leonardo DiCaprio played plantation owner Calvin Candie in Quentin Tarantino's violent tale of the Antebellum South, "Django Unchained" (2012).

Credit: Weinstein Company Leonardo DiCaprio during location filming of Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained." Credit: Weinstein Company "The Great Gatsby" Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Credit: Warner Brothers "The Great Gatsby" DiCaprio admits to a similarity between the characters of Jordan Belfort (of "Wolf of Wall Street") and Gatsby - both tales of hedonism, set in different eras. He said F. Scott Fitzgerald's tale "was supposed to be the 'Wolf of Wall Street' of its time ... and that's what's sort of in the undercurrent of it, is the fact that he went into the underworld to make his fortune, to belong to the aristocracy of the wealth of America. I mean, they're both about characters that wanted to belong and wanted to have an identity.

"Certainly Gatsby was one of the most interesting characters I've gotten to play, and works on so many different levels simultaneously." Credit: Warner Brothers "The Wolf of Wall Street" DiCaprio told CBS News' Lee Cowan that he was obsessed with bringing to the screen Jordan Belfort's memoir, "The Wolf of Wall Street," about a fraudulent stock trader who elicited millions from his victims and lived a flagrantly outlandish, drug-fueled lifestyle (until the feds finally caught up with him). DiCaprio said that the economic recession and blatant corruption on Wall Street, in addition to "this incessant need for more" as part of the culture, drove his obsession to make the film. When Hollywood studios balked, outside financing had to be obtained. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, was nominated for five Academy Awards , including Best Picture, Best Actor (DiCaprio), Best Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill), Best Director (Scorsese), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Credit: Paramount Pictures "The Wolf of Wall Street" For "The Wolf of Wall Street," DiCaprio said director Martin Scorsese pulled no punches in depicting the outrageous and shameless lives of the characters: "We wanted to put that darker nature of humanity up on screen, warts and all. We were doing a press conference recently and people were talking about the sort of crudeness of the characters in this movie. And Marty said something very pertinent: 'Why should I be polite about my portrayal of these people? They weren't polite, you know. What they were doing wasn't polite. So, I'm not gonna make a movie that's polite about them.'" Credit: Paramount Pictures "The Wolf of Wall Street" "He's actually a likable guy," DiCaprio said of Jordan Belfort, with whom he spent months discussing his book and events beyond the book. "I don't agree with anything that he did. I think a lot of his actions were deplorable. But when somebody's such an open book and is so candid about what they did, and unflinching in their accounts of incredibly embarrassing activities, you have to appreciate that as an actor. Because there's not many people that really do that.

"And certainly, if we wanted to put this era up on screen, we needed somebody with that attitude. He came in there with the attitude of wanting to have the American dream, and this movie is about the corruption of that dream. And of course, that compounded with the drug use made it all the more insane." Credit: Paramount Pictures "The Wolf of Wall Street" DiCaprio (pictured with Jonah Hill, whose characters are both under the influence of excessive quaalude intake) said Scorsese fostered improvisation among the cast, and that the attitude on set of "anything goes" reflected the general ethos of the characters. "That's the environment that he wanted to create. It was almost like organized chaos, you know? There was a lot of improvisation beforehand. Then, we rewrote the script according to that improvisation. But then, when we'd get on set, we'd re-improvise that improvisation. It became this sort of insanely loose, insanely free improvisational atmosphere." Credit: Paramount Pictures "The Wolf of Wall Street" Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio attend the U.K.

premiere of "The Wolf of Wall Street," at London's Leicester Square, January 9, 2014 in London. Credit: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images Eddie Awards Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks (costars from "Catch Me If You Can") pose in the green room at the 64th Annual ACE Eddie Awards at Paramount Studios on February 7, 2014 in Hollywood, Calif. Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images "The Wolf of Wall Street" Actors Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio speak at the 2014 Variety Screening Series of 'The Wolf of Wall Street' at ArcLight Hollywood on February 10, 2014 in Hollywood, Calif.

Credit: Angela Weiss/Getty Images Golden Globes Actor Leonardo DiCaprio won the Golden Globe for Best Actor (Comedy/Musical) for "The Wolf of Wall Street." Credit: Valerine Macon/AFP/Getty Images Leonardo DiCaprio as frontiersman Hugh Glass in a scene from "The Revenant." Credit: Twentieth Century Fox/AP Golden Globes Director Alejandro González Iñárritu poses with awards for Best Director and Best Motion Picture (Drama), and Leonardo DiCaprio poses with the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for TThe Revenant," in the press room at the 73nd annual Golden Globe Awards, January 10, 2016, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. For more info: 'The Man in the Iron Mask' (1998) | Leonardo DiCaprio's Movies, Ranked Worst to Best | Rolling Stone Leonardo DiCaprio's Movies, Ranked Worst to Best Leonardo DiCaprio's Movies, Ranked Worst to Best From 'Titanic' to 'Django Unchained,' rating the good, bad and WTF ugly of Leo's big-screen career All Stories 26.

'The Man in the Iron Mask' (1998) This was the first DiCaprio film to be released after the success of Titanic, and it became a hit for that very reason. But with all due respect to Monsieur Dumas, it's dreadful: A dumbed-down, star-studded period piece about the Four Musketeers' attempts to replace the sneering, playboy King Louis XIV with his long-imprisoned twin (both played by DiCaprio). The young actor seems out of his element here, and not even the veteran actors surrounding him – Gabriel Byrne! John Malkovich! Gerard Depardieu! Jeremy Irons! – can't do much with the dopey script. The Straight Dope: Who was the "Man in the Iron Mask"? A Staff Report from the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board Who was the "Man in the Iron Mask"? November 5, 2002 Dear Straight Dope: I've never seen the film on the subject, and being quite certain I never want to see another film starring Leonardo DiCaprio I probably never will see it. So I ask you, who was the man in the iron mask?

I've asked many people about this guy who apparently spent 34 years in the Bastille wearing a metal contraption on his face, and one passing know-it-all told me that apparently the masked man scratched some words on a plate and dropped it out the window into the river, where it was fished out by a fisherman. The fisherman handed it in to the authorities, who would have killed him, had they not discovered he couldn't read. I don't think I believe the above story, but I ask you, what should I believe? — Raven, Liverpool It's hard to know what to believe. There has been speculation, romantic literature, and analysis of all sorts for 300 years, with countless novels and theories by the likes of Voltaire, Pagnol and Jung. Most of the details that have come down to us are strictly flights of fancy. But the story wasn't manufactured from whole cloth. There really was a man in a mask. THE FACTS First, let's set the scene. We're in the reign of Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, who ruled from 1643 to 1715.

It's the era of the "divine right of kings"--the king's power was absolute and unquestioned. To Louis XIV is attributed the quote: "L'état, c'est moi!" ("I am the state!") At the other end of society were prisoners, many jailed by the king, who could imprison someone for any reason that struck his fancy. Political intrigue? Prison. Inappropriate remarks? Prison. Fashion faux pas? Maybe not prison, but who knows? Louis XIV condemned folks for good reasons and bad, with a "carefree flourish of the royal quill." Our first record of a masked prisoner is from a notebook kept by Lieutenant Etienne du Junca, an official of the Bastille from October 1690 until his death in September 1706. His notebooks are "the most important and reliable source of information we have about the management and conduct of the Bastille under Louis XIV," according to Theodore M.R. von Keler. The entry for Thursday, September 18, 1698, records the 3 p.m. arrival of a new governor of the Bastille, Bénigne d'Auvergne de Saint-Mars.

Du Junca writes that Saint-Mars "brought with him, in a litter, a longtime prisoner, whom he had in custody in Pignerol, and whom he kept always masked, and whose name has not been given to me, nor recorded." Saint-Mars had been at Pignerol from 1665 to 1681, so the Man in the Mask had been imprisoned for at least 18 years prior to his arrival at Bastille, and perhaps as long as 33 years. Du Junca's later comments indicate that the prisoner was well treated, and had no complaints. He was permitted to attend Mass on Sundays and holidays, but had to keep his face covered by a "black velvet mask." Du Junca's report is the only mention of a mask, and note that it is black velvet, not iron.

Five years later, on November 19, 1703, Du Junca records the death and burial of the "unknown prisoner, who has worn a black velvet mask since his arrival here in 1698." Saint-Mars had the name "Marchialy" inscribed in the parish register, but spelling in those days were subject to what John Noone calls "orthographical disorder." THE LEGENDS Those are the bare facts, but the legend started almost immediately. The prisoner aroused some curiosity at the time. Within a few months of the arrival of the masked prisoner at the Bastille, stories were already circulating, each one wilder and more improbable than the last. The stories reached new heights after the prisoner's death. By 1711, we have letters from Princess Palatine, the second wife of Louis XIV's brother, speculating about the "man who lived masked for long years in the Bastille and masked he died there." Other prisoners later claimed they had known the Man in the Mask, and told their invented stories to different writers, such as Voltaire, who exaggerated them even more. Speculation ran wild over the next two centuries.

I'll give you a handful of legends, to give you the flavor. That the mask was made of iron. Voltaire, writing in 1751, said it was riveted on, and described in detail a "movable, hinged lower jaw held in place by springs that made it possible to eat wearing it." The only reliable contemporary reference we have to the mask clearly calls it black velvet, not iron, but the "iron mask" caught the public's imagination. That there were two soldiers always at his side ready to shoot him if he ever unmasked. That he was treated with extreme courtesy by his jailors. The governor of the prison personally took care of his linens and meals. The governor and jailors removed their hats in his presence, remained standing until he invited them to sit, served his meals on silver plate, and so forth--in short, etiquette accorded royalty. This legend was widespread, and makes a great story, but prison records show exactly what supplies were furnished--and they were pretty humble. Rooms in the Bastille before 1745 were unfurnished, as the majority of political prisoners preferred to provide their own furnishings.

Du Junca's notebooks record that the masked prisoner had no furniture of his own, instead using the standard furniture provided by the governor. This implies that the Man in the Mask was not wealthy, and certainly wasn't treated "like royalty." That each governor of the Bastille had to swear to the king not to reveal the identity of the masked prisoner to anyone, except to the successor governor. This legend is silly--there was only one governor of the Bastille during the imprisonment of the masked prisoner, namely, Saint-Mars. The story you recounted: that the prisoner wrote a message with the point of a knife on a silver plate, and tossed the plate out the window into the river. It was found by a fisherman who brought it back to the prison, and was immediately questioned by the governor whether he had read what was on the plate. He said that he did not know how to read. He was imprisoned and interrogated and investigated, and it was proved that he had no schooling and could not read or write his own name. The governor then freed him, saying, "It is your great luck that you can't read!" This story was recounted by Voltaire in the 1750s.

A similar story is told about a shirt of fine quality, covered with writing, found by a barber and returned to Saint-Mars; two day later, the barber was dead. The reality is that prisoners did try to communicate with the outside world, and that Saint-Mars was concerned about such attempts. One prisoner (Pierre Slaves) may have used a pewter plate (not silver) and a shirt. The plate wasn't thrown out the window; the prisoner was trying to reach other prisoners (and perhaps a laundress). Guards foiled the attempts; no outsiders were involved. That after the death of the prisoner, all his furnishings were cleared away. This is true, but not special; it was standard procedure when a prisoner died in his room. A more elaborate version has it that the prisoner's belongings (clothes, sheets, paper) were burned and the room scrubbed and repainted. In short, romantic fancy ran wild. But some of the legends had a grain of truth. Louis XV is said to have told Madame du Pompadour that the masked prisoner was a "minister of an Italian prince." Louis XVI told Marie Antoinette that he was a political intriguer from Mantua in Italy.

These comments are worth remembering, for they point to one of two likely suspects. The myth of the iron mask took hold in the popular imagination. In the late 1700s, with revolution in the air, the growing discontent with royalty and tyranny found symbolic expression in the masked prisoner, confined for unknown reasons for 30 years, and dying masked. His prison, the Bastille, was the ultimate symbol of tyranny and repression. When the Bastille was stormed in 1789, reports were circulated that the invaders had found the skeleton of a man, with an iron mask riveted around his head, chained to walls in one of the dank, hidden lower prisons. The discovery of an iron mask was a great coup in public relations, symbolizing the dreadful excesses of the monarchy. It was especially poignant if the poor prisoner were a "skeleton in the cupboard of the French Royal House" (as John Noone puts it). As such, the myth (then and now) far outweighed the reality.

In 1855, an iron mask, with a Latin inscription, was put on public display as the "identical mask which the famous prisoner in the Bastille had worn during his incarceration." People paid admission to see this wonderful (but wholly fabricated) relic, which may still be seen in the museum at Langres. So, who was the Man in the Mask? Two approaches have been used to solve the mystery, the speculative and the historical. THE SPECULATIVE APPROACH As early as 1715, authors and political pundits approached the mystery of the masked prisoner by trying to answer the main questions: Why was the prisoner masked? Most people, including Voltaire, reasoned (then and now) that the mask must have been used to conceal his identity, or at least, to hide his face. In those days, there were not many faces that might have been recognized by the average prison guard or person in the street. Hence, the reasoning goes, the prisoner must have been famous himself or strongly resembled someone famous like royalty. Other questions included: Why not just kill him? And why such enormous secrecy that not even du Junca knew who he was?

The facts were mixed with the legends, and there have been dozens of suggestions, many involving some sort of royal connection. A few of the major theories: The most famous story with a royal connection holds that the masked prisoner was Louis XIV's identical twin brother, hidden at birth to avoid complications in the succession, raised secretly far away from court, and imprisoned when he discovered his true identity. The mask, obviously, was to hide the resemblance to the King. The ultimate version is "The Man in the Iron Mask" by Alexandre Dumas (père), published in 1850 as part of his trilogy on the Three Musketeers. All the movies (there have been at least a dozen in Europe and the U.S. since 1910) are based on this popular book. The story is tempting and romantic, but highly implausible and without any supporting evidence whatsoever. In the 1770s, Voltaire hinted that the prisoner was an older half-brother of Louis XIV with a family resemblance, but not necessarily a twin, such as the Duke of Beaufort. Such a person might have raised complications about the royal succession, hence the need for absolute secrecy.

Other suggested that the older half-brother was the illegitimate son of the Queen Mother, imprisoned to prevent a scandal, and having nothing to do with the succession. Another version of this holds that the man in the mask was a woman, an illegitimate daughter of the Queen Mother! A very amusing version of the ""older royal brother" was circulated in 1801, under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. While in jail, the man in the mask was married, and fathered a son; the infant was taken by his mother to Corsica and given his mother's name of . . . ready? . . . Bonaparte. Thus Napoleon Bonaparte was the direct descendent of the rightful king of France! Or, he was a black politician whose dalliance with the Queen resulted in an illegitimate daughter. He was masked because he would be identifiable, being black. If not an older brother or a twin of Louis XIV, perhaps his illegitimate son, such as the Count of Vermandois? Such stories often included wonderful embellishments such as being imprisoned because he struck his older brother, the Dauphin, heir to the throne.

Alas, Vermandois died in 1682, too early to be the masked prisoner. But there's no reason to allow death to discourage us from a candidate. After all, this is the highest level political intrigue, and death can be faked. Conspiracy theorists, go wild! Some have suggested Molière, the famous playwright, as a candidate. Molière's death in 1673 was faked, and he was concealed behind the mask until his true death 40 years later at age 83. Then there are those who argue the Man in the Mask was English, such as the Duke of Monmouth, an illegitimate son of Charles II involved in religious and political rebellion against his father. Or perhaps the Man in the Mask was an illegitimate son of Oliver Cromwell. There are dozens of such candidates, especially when we disregard minor inconveniences like well-documented deaths. Those who argue any particular theory usually have some plausible set of coincidences to bolster their case. But, ultimately, their arguments tend to require that we overlook some historical contradiction or inconsistency. INVESTIGATIONS In the last century or so some have taken a more analytical approach, sifting through the documentation and historical evidence.

While there are few reliable documents about the Man in the Mask himself, there are prison records, letters to and from the governor Saint-Mars, and so forth. Deductions and assumptions can be based on these documents. The starting point for this type of analysis is that the Du Junca reports the masked prisoner was brought to the Bastille in 1698 by Saint-Mars, as his "longtime prisoner" from Pignerol. Pignerol was a fortress-prison that belonged to France near Turin in Italy. Saint-Mars was governor there from 1665 until 1681. From Pignerol, Saint-Mars was transferred to the prison Exiles from 1681 to 1687, and then to Sainte Marguerite in the Gulf of Cannes until 1698, when he became governor of the Bastille in Paris and brought his masked "longtime prisoner" with him. Saint-Mars then served as governor of the Bastille until his death in September 1708.

So the game is to find a prisoner in Pignerol in 1681 (or earlier) who was later in Sainte Marguerite and could have been brought masked to the Bastille with Saint-Mars in 1698. I'll spare you the vast amount of detail, deductions, and reconstruction of records, letters, arrest warrants, etc. There were only five prisoners in Pignerol when Saint-Mars left in 1681, and three are easily eliminated--for instance, by dying prior to 1698. There are thus only two candidates. (1) Antonio Ercole Matthioli Matthioli was an unscrupulous politician from Mantua, in Italy, who was involved in negotiations between the Duke of Mantua and the Republic of Venice, using France as an intermediary. (At the time, remember, Italy was not unified but comprised a large number of small but powerful states.) Matthioli double-crossed everyone in sight, and "caused disturbances in at least five countries, which came near leading to general war," according to van Keler. This put the King of France in a very awkward position.

Matthioli was kidnapped by the French in May 1679 in Italy and hustled off to the mountain fortress of Pignerol. The arrest warrant contained a postscript: "No person shall know what has become of this man" by special order of the King. The French secretary of state, Louvois, instructed the governor to give him only absolute necessities, and nothing of comfort, saying this was at the special request of the King. Matthioli almost became deranged from this treatment. He did not accompany Saint-Mars when he was transferred to the prison at Exiles in 1681, but was transferred to the prison at Sainte Marguerite in March 1694, so meets our criteria. After 1694, Mattioli disappears from official correspondence. Arguments in favor of Matthioli as the masked prisoner include: When the Masked Prisoner was buried in 1703, Saint-Mars gave the parish register of the church the name "Marchioly." This is an easily explained corruption of Matthioli--spelling wasn't standardized in those days.

In his correspondence, Saint-Mars occasionally wrote "Marthioly" for "Matthioli." Of course, "Marchioly" could have been a false name, if Saint-Mars were still concerned about secrecy. As previously noted, Louis XV and Louis XVI mentioned an Italian intriguer from Mantua. This is consistent with Matthioli, but with no other prisoner at Pignerol during the period in question Arguments against Matthioli: Matthioli may have died in 1694. Reference is made to a prisoner who died at Sainte-Marguerite. Circumstantial evidence is pretty convincing that Matthioli is the only prisoner who fits the description. Obviously, if Matthioli died in 1694, he could not have been the masked prisoner of 1698. There is a letter to Saint-Mars from the secretary of state in 1697, cautioning that he not ever "explain to anyone what it is your longtime prisoner did." But everyone knew what Matthioli did; there was no secret or mystery about it. His crime and punishment were reasonably well known.

The cause and place of his imprisonment were published in newspapers as early as 1682. There was no need to keep his face masked and his identity secret. Counter-arguments: It's possible Matthioli wore a mask from choice. It was an Italian custom among the upper classes to mask one's face when going out in the sun, and Matthioli may have taken this custom to extremes and masked himself. (2) Eustace Dauger The more likely candidate is a prisoner named Eustace Dauger (or some similar spelling), who was a valet. The name Dauger is likely false, and there is considerable speculation about who Dauger might have been. The King's arrest warrant restricts Dauger from having any contact with anyone. Saint-Mars himself must feed Dauger, and the secretary of state writes to Saint-Mars, "You must never, under any pretenses, listen to what he may wish to tell you. You must threaten him with death if he speaks one word except about his actual needs.

He is only a valet, and does not need much furniture." Dauger was transferred from Pignerol with Saint-Mars to Exiles in 1681 and to Sainte Marguerite in 1687, so meets our criteria. The arguments in favor of Dauger: In 1687, when Saint-Mars went to the fortress-prison of Sainte Marguerite, he brought Dauger with him in a sedan chair covered over with oilcloth. Saint-Mars did not use a litter because he feared it might break down and Dauger could be seen. Thus, Saint-Mars wanted to keep Dauger's face hidden. The twelve-day journey in a closed chair nearly killed Dauger, and his arrival at Sainte Marguerite in this way aroused a great deal of excitement, curiosity, and speculation. Dauger accompanied Saint-Mars through all his prison postings, unlike Matthioli. If the prisoner was to be handled so confidentially by Saint-Mars, it makes sense that he would stay with Saint-Mars all that time. This is consistent with the Man in the Mask being called Saint-Mars' "longtime" prisoner.

We already noted the letter to Saint-Mars from the secretary of state, cautioning that he not ever "explain to anyone what it is your longtime prisoner did." While everyone knew what Matthioli did, no one knew what Dauger had done--in fact, no one knows to this day. The main objection to the Dauger theory is: why the mask? Why the fuss? Why all the secrecy? He was only a valet, why not just kill him? And the related question: who was this Dauger, anyway? The two most common theories: (a) Dauger was a valet named Martin, whose master was Roux de Marsilly, a French Huguenot who tried to stir up a Protestant alliance against France. Marsilly was publicly tortured to death in Paris in 1669, and his ex-valet Martin was imprisoned under the name Eustace Dauger. The authorities must have assumed that Dauger knew details of Marsilly's plots and secrets, and he was imprisoned to divulge them. Dauger said that he knew nothing. Thus, Dauger was probably imprisoned for something the authorities THOUGHT he had seen or heard or knew.

(The name "Marchialy" under which the masked prison was buried could have been a misspelling of "Marsilly.") He was a valet named "Danger" or "D'angers" who was hired by the secretary of state to commit a political assassination by poisoning, which he botched. He was imprisoned and kept silent so as not to incriminate the secretary of state. Of course, speculation doesn't stop there. Other theories about Dauger include: He was Eustache Dauger de Cavoya, a black sheep from an important family. He was mixed up with Satanism, homosexuality, and depraved criminals. He was involved in potential scandals with women close to the king, hence forbidden to speak and locked up for life. A problem: de Cavoye was imprisoned at Saint-Lazare, and so is unlikely to be our Dauger. Marcel Pagnol speculated in The Secret of the Iron Mask (1965) that Dauger was, in fact, the identical twin brother of Louis XIV. John Noone comments: ""That brings us back, with a cavalier flourish, to square one!"" But, in any case, why the mask?

If Dauger was Martin, then he was initially imprisoned for interrogation, to find out what he knew. He probably knew nothing, and so repeated questioning got nowhere. However, never underestimate the power of "red tape," even three hundred years ago. Once he was "caught in the toils of the system," says Andrew Lang, sheer inertia and force of habit kept him there. An intriguing argument is made by John Noone, in his comprehensive book The Man Behind the Iron Mask. He contends that Dauger wore the mask only occasionally, and that the secrecy and mystery seemed to increase in the later years of imprisonment. Noone suggests that was a strategy of Saint-Mars, the governor of all the prisons where Dauger was incarcerated, to gain attention. We know that Saint-Mars had some important prisoners at Pignerol, such as Nicolas Fouquet and Comte de Lauzun--high level politicians. Being in charge of such people brought Saint-Mars to the attention of the highest and mightiest in the land. Saint-Mars had an inflated sense of his own importance. When Fouquet died and Lauzun was released, Saint-Mars was no longer in the spotlight.

However, he still had a political prisoner in his care, namely Dauger. Yeah, he's only a valet, but what better way to remind the powers-that-be of Saint-Mars' importance than to play up the importance of his prisoner? Noone posits that Saint-Mars himself helped spread rumors about the identity of his "longtime" prisoner, made him wear a mask in public, and tried to stoke gossip. In short, the mask may have been a publicity ploy by Saint-Mars. THE MYTH One possible explanation of the Man in the Mask is that two men's histories (Matthioli and Dauger) have been conflated with stories about other prisoners to create one myth. Dauger is at the center of a number of legends about the Man in the Mask. For instance, Dauger was the prisoner carried from Exiles to Sainte Marguerite in a covered sedan chair so that no one would see his face. The story about the prisoner who wrote a message on his shirt and on a pewter plate, to bring attention of his plight to the outside world, is also part of the myth, as is the Iron Mask itself.

These dramatic stories were romanticized and became associated with the Man in the Mask. If Dauger is the Man in the Mask, that would combine the reality and several legends fairly well. However, if Matthioli was the Man in Mask at the Bastille, then the story of Dauger became a legend associated with the mysterious prisoner. Thus, for example, the "velvet mask" of 1698 and the covered sedan chair of 1687 may have become combined into the mythos, that the man was masked for his entire imprisonment. So the Man in the Mask is potentially not one individual but two, whose stories are combined (and spiced up with stories of other prisoners) into one legend. We may never know, but the debate continues. The results of the last International Symposium on the Iron Mask are presumably available. Everyone needs a hobby. By the way, the 300th anniversary of the death of the Man in the Mask (November 19, 1703) is coming up. This gives you plenty of time to prepare for a blowout party. Resources: &nbs p; The argument for Matthioli:

Question: Which King did Leonardo Di Caprio play in The Man in the Iron Mask?
Answer: Louis XIV